Will Hispanic Voters Alter the Politics of Climate Change?

Last week, a review of nine public-opinion polls concluded that global warming is an important issue for Hispanic voters. The polling also indicated that protecting air and water quality rank as top voter priorities for Hispanics. (For a deeper dive, you can read the original article here.)

The nonprofit Hispanic Access Foundation, the organization that commissioned the survey, concluded from the analysis that Hispanic voters are likely to vote for candidates who have strong environmental records as a result.

But even if Hispanic voters rate the environment as an important issue, that doesn't necessarily mean they will cast ballots with that priority in mind.

Will Hispanic voters alter the politics of climate change, or will they fail to make any dent at all in the current political dynamic? How much stock should lawmakers and aspiring elected officials put in polling that shows strong voter preference among Hispanics for pro-environment candidates? And what's the risk of ignoring this latest analysis?